June 10th, 2005, I remember it like it was yesterday. This was the day that I had my follow-up visit with my neurologist. During the previous month, I had lost my ability to walk, been hospitalized and had been seeing a physical therapist to learn how to walk again all due to an acute onset […]
In the past two months, the unrelenting Arizona summer sun has beat me into submission. There have been only three days under one hundred degrees in the past two months. There is no shade, no way to escape the sun other than to hide inside. There is also no break from this intense heat in […]
Growing up in Hingham, Massachusetts we had it all. Hingham resembled a Norman Rockwell painting with its lush forests that lead to a historic downtown nestled up against the harbor. It was a safe place to grow up where the only trouble was when the boys would skip school and play on the rope swing at the duck pond. No […]
On this day back in 1976, the Declaration of Independence was signed into law. Today, let’s look at a declaration of independence from five common symptoms of multiple sclerosis that I experienced and what it meant to me: Vision Problems Vision Problems are one of the most common symptoms associated with MS. I have had […]
Mason, my oldest son, overheard me and my brother talking about my aunt Loretta and MS. When he asked why he had never met her, we told him that she passed away due to complications of multiple sclerosis. He became very emotional over this, not wanting to lose me the same way my cousins lost […]
Many of you who have read my blog over the years, know how I went blind in my right eye due to optic neuritis or my struggles before and after my anterior cervical fusion. During my rehabilitation from these events, I worked extensively with an occupational therapist (OT) to help regain the activities of daily […]
**Originally posted by Matt Cavallo on MSAA Conversations on 4-20-2015 at http://blog.mymsaa.org/worth-fighting-for/** Photo Citation: Wash, B. (2011, December 11). Never Never Give Up, art show 2011, MBW. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from https://flic.kr/p/b4vjd8 There was a touching moment at my last neurology appointment. You see, I have been with my same neurologist since moving to Arizona […]
Since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2005, the veins in my arms have been stuck well over a hundred times. My monthly Tysabri infusion alone has equaled 108 vein piercing injections once every 28 days dating back to February of 2007. Each time has been without incident. My nurses remark how I have big […]
**Originally posted by Matt Cavallo on MSAA Conversations on 3-14-2014 at http://blog.mymsaa.org/commonly-missed-medical-expenses-tax-deductions/** Taxes. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2015, from https://flic.kr/p/bH1kaH The change of the season can only mean one thing: taxes! I can’t turn on my TV or radio right now without hearing an advertisement for tax preparation. Whether you prepare your own taxes or use […]
**Originally posted by Matt Cavallo on MSAA Conversations on 2-11-2015 at http://blog.mymsaa.org/hard-family-conversations-and-ms/** Me and my Aunt Angie, Loretta’s older sister, December 2015 During my initial hospital stay and subsequent diagnosis of MS, one of the biggest challenges that I faced was talking to my family. We had a history of multiple sclerosis in my family. My […]